Emma Raducanu kicks off her grass court season with a thrilling win over Ena Shibahara in the first round of the Rothesay Open and slams Brazilian referee Ana Carvalho. She won the Japanese qualifying match in Nottingham in straight sets and then launched a scathing attack on the quality of the referees.
The Hawk-Eye system was not used in the match and Raducanu was visibly unmoved after a series of harsh calls that went against her. “I felt like I was playing two-on-one on the court — it was crazy,” Raducanu said. “I would probably use at least four challenges [if we’d had them].
“I think a lot of times they go both ways. Today I felt like they were all against me, but I managed to beat her and the referee, which makes me feel better. It’s difficult when there’s no challenge, but that’s everyone Things that all have to face, maybe just to make the game more competitive.
“It’s something I’ve had to face and overcome. I’m very happy with the attitude I’ve shown from the beginning, and I’ve had to deal with adversity as well.
Raducanu’s displeasure came to a head when the referee overturned a line judge’s call for a Shibahara backhand volley in the third game. Win in one set.
Raducanu, who by this time had inquired about two other calls, walked up to the chairman and protested the decision to officials. “she[Shibahara] Reacting like it was out,” Raducanu said, but to no avail.
The 21-year-old was also dissatisfied with the “very poor” call in the ninth game of the second set, which she won 6-4. Despite her frustration, she did not back British teammate Harriet Dart’s call for full electronic circuitry in all races.
“I feel like there’s something wrong with the Hawkeyes this year — I don’t know why,” Raducanu said. “I think there’s a beauty in having all the linesmen, it really adds drama for the audience. For us, it was probably the most frustrating thing ever.
Regardless, Raducanu performed well on her home soil in front of an enthusiastic and supportive crowd, her first grass-court match in nearly two years.
She looked relaxed throughout her 70 minutes on the court and brought her first win of the Nottingham tournament at the third time of asking.
Raducanu stuttered slightly at the end of the game, but there were clenched fists and big smiles when Shibahara hit a forehand into the net to end the match.
That sets the stage for Thursday’s second-round match with world No. 127 Daria Snigur of Ukraine, who defeated second-seeded Maar 6-3, 6-3. Marta Kostyuk.
Top seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia easily defeated Camila Osorio of Colombia, ranked 81st in the world, in straight sets at the beginning.
In the first round of the men’s challenge in Nottingham, British men’s No. 1 Kam Nori defeated Japanese player Sho Shimabukuro with a score of 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. “These games before Wemby were priceless,” Norrie said. “I had to give up in the third set. The first game back on grass is always not easy.
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Second seed Dan Evans was seeking his third win of the tournament, beating Swiss Dominic Stricker 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
On Wednesday, Evans will face Wimbledon men’s champion 18-year-old Henry Searle, who fought his way through qualifying to reach the first round and beat American Dennis Kuder, the tournament runner-up three years ago, in straight sets La, impressive progress.
Murray’s stay in Stuttgart ended by Geelong
Andy Murray’s preparations for his final Wimbledon match got off to a rocky start as he lost in the first round at Stuttgart. The two-time SW19 champion traveled to Germany to get some match practice ahead of his home Grand Slam tournament starting next month, but he lost 6-3, 6-4 to Marcos Giron.
It’s contrary to Murray’s hopes, with the 37-year-old potentially entering the final weeks of his illustrious career after hinting at retirement this summer. He will return to London to play at Queen’s University, where he dominated for a long time, hopefully longer than he did in Germany.
In the 999th singles match of his career, Murray fell behind the pace against the world No. 54 and was broken in the fifth game. The Scotsman had no way out, and a break in the third game of the second set declared the end of the game.
British number two Jack Draper will face Geelong in the second round. AP average
